In the end, why not? New start! :)

[giosach]

Hi guys. Since I joined the forum I thought it would be a good idea to start a journal for various reasons. Hope we can have some nice discussions.

Few words about me. 27 years old, been in and out of gyms since 2009, with occasional boxing training. Trained really seriously from 2015 to summer of 2017 reaching the following stats:

Height 183 cm (6 ft)
Weight 77 kg ( ~ 169 lbs)
BF 10.8% measured by DEXA

Since then I had depression issues, trained very sporadically, messed up my nutrition, you know how it goes. Thankfully things are much better now and hopefully I'll continue what I stopped back in 2017. Now weighing 93 kg (205 lbs) and don't even want to measure my BF 😂

Trained for about a month with resistance bands at home and got back at the gym last week with the lockdown lifted. I'm going to spend the summer training with full-body workouts and eating at or a little under maintenance to get back on track.
Come September, I'll design my winter plan according to whether I'll be able to have my home gym ready or I'll continue to go to my current gym.

About routines, I absolutely despise traditional splits and I always train with a variation of Upper-Lower, PPL, or Full-Body workouts, mixing strength and hypertrophy. I also like to vary between volume and intensity between time periods.
About nutrition, I don't generally count my calories or macros, however I count at the beginning of something new to get a feel of the quantities. Nothing too interesting to mention here as I stick to the standard foods.

Here's today's sample to give you an idea. Of course quantities as well as the macros change according to what time I'm working out, if I work out that day etc.

Oats +1 teaspoon of peanutbutter + 1 glass of low fat milk for breakfast
1 scoop of Whey protein + green apple for post-workout (normally I have a banana here, haven't gone to the market yet)
Chicken breast with brown rice, cucumber, pepper and one tablespoon of olive oil for lunch
Tuna can (with sunflower oil) with big green salad and corn in the evening
Cottage cheese with cranberries and almonds for dinner.

At the gym

Squats
Bent Over Rows All for 5 sets of 6/8/10/12/15 plus the warm up
Bench Press
Single handle reverse triceps pushdowns/Dumbbell Curls 3x12 Superset
25 minutes cardio on the treadmill + about 20 minutes swimming because I went to the beach today 😁

I'll do my best to keep the journal updated, really hope to see you around guys!

[bernipes]

Welcome back, bro. I've been through slacking off a few times (including currently) and I know how much getting back into a routine demands of us.
Keep it up and you'll be even better than when you stopped!

[giosach]

Welcome back, bro. I've been through slacking off a few times (including currently) and I know how much getting back into a routine demands of us.
Keep it up and you'll be even better than when you stopped!

Thanks for the kind words man! Haven't felt this desire to tear up some muscle in years, can't wait to go full mode soon!

No gym today, some mobility movements using resistance bands and bodyweight at home for 25 minutes.

Food

Oats + low fat milk for breakfast
Sea bream with broccoli and 1 tablespoon of olive oil for lunch
Sea bream with big green salad and 1 wholesome fajitas in the evening
Cottage cheese with some pieces of avocado in about an hour

Reduced calories today due to having some cocktails later in the night

[giosach]

Again I was seduced by the beach today. 25 minutes mobility work and ~30 minutes swimming

Food

Oats +1 teaspoon of peanutbutter + neat coffee for breakfast
Chicken breast with corn and tomatoes rolled in wholesome fajita for lunch
Chicken breast and big green salad in the evening
Cottage cheese with cranberries and almonds now for dinner

Also started researching potential routines for the winter, will post some options here later in the month for discussion.

[giosach]

Gym

Squat: 3x5 + 2x8
Pendlay rows: A lot of trial sets not really gone well, apparently I'm still lacking in flexibility. Will try again later for sure
Wide grip cable rows: 3x10 very strict form
Dumbbell bench press: 3x10
Single handle cable lateral raises: 3x12
Skullcrushers/Curls: 3x12 Superset using the H bar
16 minutes cardio on the treadmill

Food

Breakfast: Oats + 1 teaspoon of peanutbutter + neat coffee
Pre-Workout: Tuna with corn and olive oil wrapped in wholesome fajita
Post-Workout: 1 scoop whey protein + 1 banana
Evening: 3 veal patties with big green salad
Dinner: Cottage cheese with cranberries and almonds

The bad news is that the gym reduced the available workout time to 1 hour due to "covid precautions instructed by the government", so I'm already looking for a more relaxed gym.
The good news is that this development made me speed up the creation of my home gym, hopefully I'll start purchasing stuff soon.

[giosach]

Gym

Boxing: 20 minutes bodyweight circuit, 1 hour heavy bag work, 10 minutes stretching.
Decided to hit my old boxing school twice per week, on heavy bag days and cardiovascular conditioning days. Really like the sport, so I said I would use these two days as cardio. Weight training remains no 1 priority.

Food

Breakfast: Oats + 1 teaspoon of peanutbutter + neat coffee
Lunch: Chicken breast and pasta
Pre-Workout: Chicken breast with a bit of olive oil wrapped in wholesome fajita
Post-Workout & Dinner: Whey protein with low fat milk, banana, almonds, cranberries

[giosach]

Gym

Squat: 3x5
Dumbbell Romanian Deadlift: 2x12
T-Bar Row: 3x5
Dumbbell Row: 2x12
Bench Press: 3x5
Incline Dumbbell Press: 2x12
Tricep Rope Push Downs/Dumbbell Curls: 3x12 Superset
Seated Lateral Raises/Seated Dumbbell Press: 3x12 Superset

Food

Breakfast & Pre-Workout: Oats +1 teaspoon of peanutbutter + 1 glass of low fat milk + neat coffee
Post-Workout: 1 scoop whey protein + banana
Evening: 3 ground turkey patties + brown rice + 1 tablespoon olive oil
Dinner: Cottage cheese, almonds, cranberries

Larger portions today due to waking up later than usual. Went pretty hard today, might take the day off tomorrow.

[giosach]

Gym

Boxing: Warm up, cardiovascular conditioning with multiple circuits, abs, stretching. Workout to be done later.

Food

Breakfast: Oats + 1 glass low fat milk + neat coffee
Lunch: Legumes mix ( I'll post photo below ) + big green salad + avocado slices
Evening: Tuna salad rolled in wholesome fajita
Post-Workout: 1 scoop whey protein + banana
Dinner: Low fat milk and walnuts ( Ran out of cottage cheese and almonds, will hit the market tomorrow )

So, found this little fella. It's the legume mix I wrote about earlier. Great nutrients, I'll keep it for my post-workout "big meal" to have this saturation feeling.

[giosach]

Gym

Bench Press: 3x5
Incline Dumbbell Press: 3x12
Pullups/Chinups: Countless singles and doubles with extremely slow negative to try and build that strength back up
Yates Row: 3x5
Lat PullDowns: 3x12
OHP/Lateral Raises: 3x8/3x12 Superset
Triceps Rope PushDown/Dumbbell Hammer Curls: 2x12 Superset
15 minutes low intensity cardio

Food

Breakfast + Pre-workout: Oats + 1 teaspoon peanutbutter + 1 glass low fat milk + neat coffee
Post-workout: Whey protein + banana
Lunch: Sea bream + boiled potato + big green salad
Evening/Dinner: Will have a free meal later tonight, will make sure to at least include some casein in a way.

Normally I'm doing Full Body workouts until I get back on track, however my right calf and ham felt really, REALLY sore today, to the point I thought it might not be DOMS, lol. Applied ice and did some targetted stretching and feels much better now, will do the same tomorrow and also take the day off. Squat that got cancelled today will be replaced of course.

[giosach]

Gym

Squat: 3x5
Yates Row: 3x5
Bench Press: 3x5
Bodyweight Dips: 2x8
Alternating Dumbbell Curls: 3x12
Standing Cable Crunch: 2x15
15 minutes medium intensity cardio on the treadmill

Food

Breakfast + Pre-workout : Oats, 1 teaspoon peanutbutter, 1 glass low fat milk, neat coffee
Post-workout: Whey protein, banana
Lucnh: Chicken breast, sweet potato, 1 tablespoon olive oil
Evening: Turkey breast with mixed vegetables wrapped in whole wheat fajita
Dinner: Cottage cheese, almonds, cranberries

Some notes now that I've completed 4 weeks since my come back. As I said, I'm eating near maintenance. Of course being out of serious training for nearly 4 years plays a role, however I haven't lost any weight and I already look somewhat better, so that tells me that my body is able to recomp to a certain degree. Will try to get maximum benefits off this situation until progress slows down.

Also, I don't really know what's going to happen with my home gym, or if my current gym will allow for longer workouts. That said, this is probably the last week I'm doing random Full Body stuff. Come next week I'll either start with an existing routine or design something custom. I've usually trained with custom made routines, so this is probably what I'm going to do now as well.

[giosach]

Gym

Boxing: 10 minutes warm up, 10 minutes bodyweight circuit (Yes, 1 circuit. Almost died.), 50 minutes heavy bag work, 10 minutes abs, 10 minutes stretching

Food

Breakfast: Oats, 1 glass low fat milk, neat coffee
Lunch + Pre-workout: Whole wheat pasta and ground veal
Post-Workout: Whey protein
Evening: Whole wheat pasta and ground veal
Dinner: Cottage cheese, almonds, cranberries

[giosach]

Day off yesterday. Today:

Gym

Squat: 5x5, increasing weight every set
T-Bar Row: 3x5 + 2x12
Bench Press: 4x5 + 1x12
Cable Lateral Raises: 2x12
Smith Machine Close Grip Bench Press/Standing Alternating Dumbbell Curls: 2x12 Superset

Food

Breakfast + Pre-workout: Oats, 1 teaspoon peanutbutter, 1 glass low fat milk, neat coffee
Post-workout: Whey protein, banana
Lunch: Tuna salad, brown rice, peas, corn
Evening: Turkey breast wrapped in whole wheat fajita with a bit olive oil
Dinner: Cottage cheese, almonds, cranberries

[giosach]

Mini Home Morning Workout

Mobility work with dynamic stretching, resistance bands. About 20 minutes in total.

Gym

Boxing: 10 minutes warm up, 15 minutes foot, head and body movements, 50 minutes technique with partner, 5 3-minute rounds sparring, stretching

Food

Breakfast: Whole wheat cereal, low fat milk, neat coffee
Lunch + Pre Workout: Chicken breast, sweet potatoes
Post-workout: Whey protein, banana
Evening: Chicken breast, whole wheat fajita, cucumber, tomato, pepper, avocado, green apple
Dinner: Low fat milk, almonds, cranberries

[giosach]

Gym

Sumo Deadlift: 5x5, increasing weight every set
Bench Press: 2x5 + 1x4, increasing weight every set, missed the last rep. May have been able to complete it but did not want to take the risk without a spotter.
Incline DB Press: 2x12
Lat PullDowns: 3x5, increasing weight every set
FacePull (High Pulley): 2x12
H Bar Skullcrushers/H Bar Hammer Curls/Seated Lateral Raises: 3x12 Triset

Food

Breakfast + Pre-Workout: Oats, 1 teaspoon peanutbutter, 1 glass low fat milk, neat coffee
Post-Workout: Whey protein, banana
Lunch: Ground turkey patties, mixed vegetables
Evening-Dinner: Not sure, gonna have a friend reunion so it's gonna be this week's free meal.

[giosach]

Gym

Sumo Deadlift : 3x5 + 2x8
Bench Press : 3x5 + 2x8
Bent Over Row: 3x5 + 2x8
15 minutes cardio on the treadmill, fast walk, heavily inclined

Food

Breakfast + Pre-workout: Oats, 1 teaspoon peanutbutter, 1 glass low fat milk, neat coffee
Post-workout: Whey protein, banana
Lunch: Whole wheat pasta, ground veal
Evening: Tuna salad, mixed vegetables
Dinner: Cottage cheese, almonds, cranberries

Went somewhat easy today, the past 4 days I didn't workout and had a very bad sleep yesterday.

[giosach]

Gym

Boxing: 10 minutes warm up, 1 hour mitts work, sparring, abs, stretching

Food

Breakfast: Two protein bars, 1 glass low fat milk, neat coffee
Lunch + Pre-workout: Turkey breast, sweet potato
Post-Workout: Whey protein, banana
Evening: Tuna salad, mixed vegetables, whole wheat tortilla
Dinner: Cottage cheese, almonds, cranberries

As I said earlier in the journal, I was searching for a standard routine to follow. I've come down to the following:

Wendler's Boring but Big
Westside for skinny bastards ( even though I'm not one, lol )
Candito's linear programming, Strenth/Hypertrophy program

I'm leaning towards the one from Candito, first because I think it matches my goals better, and second because I love the guy, his youtube channel is an open encyclopedia.
Boxing sessions will be limited to 2 times a week for cardio and because I like the feeling of being one round away from passing out.

[giosach]

Gym

Squat: 5x5, 65/70/75/77.5/82.5 (kg)
Bench Press: 5x5, 60/62.5/65/67.5/70 (kg)
Bent-Over Row: 5x5, 42.5/45/47.5/50/52.5 (kg)
OHP: 3x8 30 (kg)
15 minutes cardio on the treadmill, fast walk, heavily inclined

Food

Breakfast+Pre-workout: Oats, chocolate cream with stevia, 1 glass low fat milk, neat coffee
Post-workout: Whey protein, banana
Lunch: Fish, whole wheat tortilla, big green salad with mixed vegetables
Evening: Tuna salad, whole wheat tortilla
Dinner: Cottage cheese, almonds, cranberries

Some notes. My strength is coming back in Squat, completed the reps pretty easily. Bench is a different story, grinded the last reps hard. Rows, I'm still working on form, never did traditional rows consistently, probably will be able to lift more weight as I improve form. Eating is still around maintenance and will continue to be until progress stops. Even though I'm keeping a spreadsheet for the basic lifts, I'll write the weight here from now on for reference.

[giosach]

Gym

Squat: 3x5 75 (kg)
Dumbbell RDL: 2x10 8 (kg)
Barbell Row: 3x5 52.5 (kg)
Dumbbell Row: 2x10 14 (kg)
Bench Press: 3x5 65 (kg)
Incline Dumbbell Press: 2x10 16 (kg)
Abs Superset: Standing Cable Crunch/Kneeling Cable Crunch: 2x20 12.5 (kg)
Abs Superset: Decline Reverse Crunch/Hyperextension Bench Oblique Crunches: 2x12 BW
Abs Superset: Heel Touches/Normal Crunches: 2x12
25 minutes cardio on the treadmill, slightly inclined

Food

Breakfast+Pre-workout: Oats, chocolate cream with stevia, 1 glass low fat milk, neat coffee
Post-workout: Whey protein, banana
Lunch: Chicken breast, brown rice, mixed vegetables
Evening: Tuna salad mixed in big green salad and whole wheat tortilla
Dinner: Cottage cheese, almonds, cranberries

Kind of ridiculous workout today. Got burnt at the beach yesterday, and touching the bar at the back on squat and at the chest for bench press felt more difficult than the lifting itself. Reduced intensity at the majors a little bit to add some accesory work and cardio.

[giosach]

Gym

Boxing: 10 minutes warm up, 1h heavy bag work, 10 minutes abs, 10 minutes stretching

Food

Breakfast: 2 protein bars, 1 glass low fat milk, neat coffee
Lunch+Pre-Workout: Ground veal patties, green beans, quinoa, 1 tablespoon olive oil
Post-Workout: Whey protein, green apple
Evening: Ground veal patties, big green salad with mixed vegetables, quinoa
Dinner: Cottage cheese, almonds, cranberries

[giosach]

Gym

Squat: 3x5 65/75/85 (kg) + 5x5 FSL
Bench Press: 3x5 50/60/70 (kg) + 5x5 FSL
Bent-Over Row: 3x5 35/45/55 (kg) + 5x5 FSL
Delts Superset: Seated Lateral Raises/Seated Dumbbell Press 2x12 6/10 (kg) + 1x12 4/10 (kg)
Arms Superset: Rope PushDowns/Alternating Dumbbell Curls 3x12 12.5/8 (kg)
Hyperextensions: 2x20 BW

Food

Breakfast+Pre-workout: Oats, chocolate cream with stevia, 1 glass low fat milk, neat coffee
Post-Workout: Whey protein, banana
Lunch: Ground turkey patties, whole wheat pasta, mixed vegetables, 1 tablespoon olive oil
Evening: Tuna salad, whole wheat tortilla
Dinner: Cottage cheese, almonds, cranberries

Still trying out stuff. Will also permanently add hyperextensions at the end of every workout for lower back strengthening and general posterior chain engagement.

[tommy4life]

Is that 531 fullbody that you're running?

[giosach]

Is that 531 fullbody that you're running?

Currently I'm not running anything specific mate. Just testing stuff. However 531 full body is something I'm seriously considering as I'll start with a fixed program soon.

[giosach]

Gym

Bench Press: 3x5 55/60/65 (kg) + 2x10 50(kg)
Bent-Over Row: 3x5 50/55/60 (kg) + 2x10 45 (kg)
Incline DB Press: 4x6/8/10/12 20/18/16/14 (kg)
Lat PullDown: 4x6/8/10/12 55/50/45/35 (kg)
OHP: 2x8 35 (kg) + 1x8 27.5 (kg)
Arms/Delts Triset: H Bar Hammer Curls/H Bar Skullcrushers (Behind head)/Seated Lateral Raises 3x12 5/4 (kg) *
Core Superset: Decline Reverse Crunches/Hyperextensions 2x15 BW

Food

Breakfast+Pre-workout: Oats, chocolate cream with stevia, 1 glass low fat milk, neat coffee
Post-Workout: Whey protein, banana
Lunch: Chicken from KFC **
Evening: Tuna salad, big green salad with mixed vegetables, whole wheat tortilla
Dinner: Cottage cheese, almonds, cranberries

I'm having my 5G installed later today (jab) so I did an Upper workout, in case I have any arm pain to do a Lower workout tomorrow.
* Don't really know the weight of that bar so I wrote the weight I put on.
** Received some very sad news about a family member yesterday and for the next few weeks I'm going to be between work, the hospital and hopefully the gym, so diet, or at least lunch is probably going to hell. Will do my best to not skip any workouts. On a serious note, working out is the best therapy.

[giosach]

Gym

Squat: 4x5 70/75/80/85 (kg) + 2x3 90/95 (kg) + 1x1 100 (kg) + 3x12 50(kg)
Dumbbell RDL: 3x10 10 (kg)
Smith Machine Standing Calf Raises: 3x15 30 (kg), Super slow execution
Superset: Horizontal Leg Press/Horizontal Leg Press Calf Raises: 2x10 120(kg) + 1x10 100 (kg)
Leg Extension: 2x12 30 (kg) + 1x20 20 (kg) Super slow execution
Seated Leg Curl: 2x12 35(kg) + 1x20 25(kg) Super slow execution
Hyperextensions: 3x15 BW

Food

Breakfast+Pre-workout: Oats, chocolate cream with stevia, 1 glass low fat milk, neat coffee
Post-Workout: Whey protein, banana
Lunch: Steak, mixed vegetables
Evening: Don't really know, because of the issue I mentioned above
Dinner: Cottage cheese, almonds, cranberries

First leg-only workout I've done in 4 years. Probably won't be able to move properly tomorrow, and that's fine by me. Also really happy with my Squat. Could have gone a little heavier but I decided to keep it for later.
Adding hyperextensions at the end was apparently a good idea, already feeling my lower back more stable, especially after heavy exercises that affect it.

[giosach]

Boxed yesterday and the day before. Today:

Gym

Squat: 3x5 85 (kg) + 2x8 65 (kg)
Bench Press: 3x5 65 (kg) + 2x8 50 (kg)
T-Bar Row: 3x5 45 (kg) + 2x8 40 (kg)
Arms Superset: Triceps PushDown/Alternating Dumbbell Curls: 3x12 12.5/8 (kg)
Delts Superset: Facepull/Lateral Raises: 3x12 12.5/4 (kg)
Hyperextensions: 2x15 BW

Food

Breakfast + Pre-workout: Oats and protein cookies (I'll post the recipe in the right thread later), 1 glass low fat milk, neat coffee
Post-Workout: Whey protein, banana
Lunch: Ground turkey patties, brown rice, mixed vegetables
Evening: Big green salad with mixed vegetables, tuna, whole wheat tortilla
Dinner: Cottage cheese, almonds, cranberries

Was somewhat sore today, I need to experiment a little more with volume and intensity before beginning with a fixed program.
Weird weight on T-Bar Rows, hadn't done in a while and also felt my lower back complaining a little.

[giosach]

Gym

Squat: 3x8 65 (kg)
Bench Press: 3x8 55 (kg)
Bent-Over Row: 2x8 40 (kg)
Kroc Rows: 1x8 14 (kg) + 1x8 18 (kg)
Pull-Throughs: Experimental Sets
Step-Ups: Experimental Sets
Hyperextensions + Row: Experimental Sets
Cardio: 20 minutes on the treadmill, fast walking, slightly inclined

So, I'm starting Wendler's 531 with the Periodization Bible assistance framework on Monday. Did some experimental sets today to figure how to set up my assistance movements, and also went with lower weights on the basics to review form. Everything was fine, except the Barbell Row, which probably is the source of my lower back constant soreness. I'll for sure keep Pull-Throughs, think about Hyperextensions-Row, and ditch Step-Ups.

Also, I'll stop writing about food and boxing sessions, unless I make any changes.

[giosach]

531 Periodization Bible by Dave Tate, Cycle 1, Week 1, Day 1

Overhead Press: 5x25 (kg) + 5x30 (kg) + 8x35 (kg) + 5xXx25 (kg)
Lat PullDowns: 5x65 (kg) + 6x60 (kg) + 8x50 (kg) + 10x45 (kg) + 12x35 (kg)
Flat DB Press: 5x22 (kg) + 6x22 (kg) + 8x18 (kg) + 10x18 (kg) + 12x14 (kg)
Arms Superset: H Bar Skullcrushers (behind head)/H Bar Hammer Curls: 5x10x5 (kg)
Hyperextensions: 3x12 Bodyweight
Cardio: 25 minutes on the treadmill, fast walk, slightly inclined

Modifications to the original program and some notes

Added first set last on the main movement. Experimented with rep ranges today, I'll keep them at 5x5 and do the movement explosively.
Rep schemes for the assistance movements are either reverse pyramid (used it back in 2017 with great results), or 5x10-12.
Added Hyperextensions for general lower back health and strengthening.
Increased food, so that I'm eating about 200-300 calories above maintenance. Of this increase, 50% will come from protein and the rest equally divided between carbs and fat.
There's going to be a decent amount of conditioning throughout the program. Cardio at the end of each workout is optional and will not always be done.

[giosach]

531 Periodization Bible by Dave Tate, Cycle 1, Week 1, Day 2


Sumo Deadlift: 5x57.5 (kg) + 5x67,5 (kg) +6x75 (kg) +5x5 FSL
Lunges (Dumbbells, Stationary, Long step): 5x10x8 (kg)
Goblet Squat (Dumbbell, Wide stance): 5x12x12 (kg)
Leg Extensions: 3x20x30 (kg) + 2x20x20 (kg) Super slow execution
Hyperextensions: 3x15 Bodyweight
Cardio: 20 minutes on the treadmill, normal pace walking, heavily inclined

Today's observation is that the reason my deadlift is weaker than it should is probably weak and/or tight core, weak grip. I don't want to add more volume to the workouts, so I'll add something to address these issues on conditioning/off days.

[giosach]

531 Periodization Bible by Dave Tate, Cycle 1, Week 1, Day 3


Bench Press: 5x47.5 (kg) + 5x55 (kg) + 8x62.5 (kg) + 5x5 FSL
Kroc Rows: 5x12x14 (kg)
Incline DB Press: 5x22 (kg) + 6x20 (kg) + 8x18 (kg) + 10x16 (kg) + 12x14 (kg)
Superset: Rope Pushdown/Facepull: 2x12x12.5 (kg) + 3x12x10 (kg)
Hyperextensions: 3x15 Bodyweight
Cardio: 25 minutes on the treadmill, fast walking, heavily inclined
Bonus: 30 minutes swimming (beach right after working out)

[giosach]

531 Periodization Bible by Dave Tate, Cycle 1, Week 1, Day 4

Squat: 5x57.5 (kg) + 5x67.5 (kg) + 8x75 (kg) + 5x5 FSL
Rack Pulls: 8x50 (kg) + 8x60 (kg) + 8x70 (kg) + 2x8x80 (kg)
Pull-Throughs: 5x12x12.5 (kg)
Seated Leg Curls: 5x20x30 (kg)
Hyperextensions: 3x20 Bodyweight

Rack pulls were performed on a step so that the bar is right below the knee. Experimented a bit with the weight, and I think I'll keep them as part of my routines for the foreseeable future.
After 1 week, I really like 531 and the whole "start light, progress slow" mentality. I can easily see myself running 531 variations until at least next summer that I'll probably cut properly.